Maximus Kolan: Original Draft
by Varia31
Summary: On a fateful mission to planet SR388, an Elite Federation Marine witnesses the demise of his team. Devastated, his old friend and ally Samus Aran decides to help shape him into a powerful warrior that will play a pivotal role in the galaxy's fate.
1. Prologue

**Maximus Kolan**

Space, silent, endless, countless stars and planets, all extending across vast galaxies within the universe as a whole. In the Ooromine galaxy, there is the Galactic Federation, made up of various species and races, all have come together to make a treaty, a treaty that created the Federation and employed peace and justice throughout the galaxy. But there are some who seek to create chaos, who feed upon fear and death, they are the Space Pirates, highly advanced beings that seek total domination of the galaxy, and to plunge it into darkness. In that darkness, there shines a light, that light is Samus Aran, the galaxy's powerful protector, whose sole purpose is to defeat the Pirates, and put an end to their tyranny once and for all. Her many quests have brought about new allies, and new foes; and now, our story begins as a new hero is about to be born, and whose wrath will be unleashed upon those that would harm the innocent.


	2. Chapter 1: The 31st Squad

"The G.F.S. Olympus, two months before the incident of Norion."

Fleet Admiral Dane walked across the ship's bridge, eying the crewmembers of the flagship Olympus while they were patrolling the star system around the planet Zebes. "How's the search coming along?" asked the Admiral, "any signs of Space Pirate activity?" "No sir, we can't seem to pinpoint where they could be hiding, ever since Samus' liberation of planet Aether, the Pirates have kept a low profile." The Admiral simply nodded in discontentment, he hated the Pirates about as much as Samus did, and like everyone in the galaxy, he wanted to be rid of their treachery once and for all. Hours passed, and finally they came across a spike in energy, "Admiral Dane, we've found something on the planet SR388, we've confirmed the energy spike to be of Pirate activity." Dane ran up to the monitor to view to view the readouts. "Good, it's about time we found them." Said the Admiral "The energy reading is very high, which means that many Pirates are around. Who should we send sir?" "We'll need to send an Elite Squad in to take care of it, send the 31st Squad, they're the best of the best. And I have no doubts that Squad Commander Kolan will complete this mission quite effectively."

Maximus Kolan, Commander of the 31st Elite Squad began to put on his battle armor, and his team did the same. Their armor was chrome silver, and their helmets had glowing blue visors. Each team member carried a heavily modified Assault Rifle with a rapid firing rate and powerful green plasma being the ammunition that they used. Each member was trained to be experts of hand-to-hand combat, with stolen Pirate Energy Scythes fused to their left forearm to use as a melee weapon much like the one that Space Pirate General Weavel uses. Kolan's armor had red stripes on the shoulders of his armor as well as detailed Federation logos to identify him as the commander. As they put on their armor, Maximus began to tell them of the situation at hand, "All right people listen up, Fleet Admiral Dane has found readings of Space Pirate activity on the planet SR388 and we're about to be briefed on our mission once everyone is ready."

The team walked into the briefing room, soon after, Admiral Dane came in, and the team stood to their feet and saluted. "Please be seated," said the Admiral, "As you are well aware, we have found Pirate activity on SR388, your mission is to fly there, and gather information on what the Pirates are planning. Recent reconnaissance within the past twelve hours has revealed to us the existence of two core generators. Sabotage their primary and secondary base cores. We need you to disable both of them to cripple the Pirates' operation. Is that understood?" Asked Dane, "Yes sir!" the team responded, "Dismissed." Dane finished. Once the team began leaving the room, Admiral Dane approached Maximus, "31st Squad Commander Kolan, I want you to make sure that no one on your team is killed, because Federation casualties have increased drastically with over 26,000 men and women lost across the galaxy this year. We can't afford to lose anyone else for some time until the Federation's ranks can be replenished again. This won't be an easy mission, but I know you can pull it off Commander, good luck." "I will do my best sir." With that, Maximus saluted once more before leaving.

The Squad began boarding the Federation vessel in the landing port, after his team was in Maximus stepped in and then seated himself in the captain's chair, which was behind and slightly above the pilot's chair. The pilot, Petty Officer Jonson, then told Maximus, "We're ready for takeoff Commander." Maximus turned back to his team and asked "Is everyone ready?" "Yes sir!" "Launch!" With that, the spacecraft lifted into the air and then took off. As they traveled to SR388, Maximus remembered Admiral Dane's information about the casualties that the Federation was suffering from, and then the words "This won't be an easy mission," He thought about this for a moment. _It's never easy, _The Commander mused.

End Chapter 1…


	3. Chapter 2: A Fateful Encounter

**Maximus Kolan**

Chapter 2

By: Varia31

"SR388, 1800 P.M."

Maximus waited patiently as the starship traveled to SR388, after about twenty minutes they arrived, Jonson landed the ship in the Pirates general area of operations, but did his best to make the ship inconspicuous to the Pirates. After the vessel had shut down, Maximus rose to his feet, "All right everyone, we're going into Pirate central right now, our mission is to stay out of sight, gather as much Intel as possible, destroy the two generators, and then get out of there and return to the Olympus. Alright, let's move out." "Yes sir!" everyone replied. As they left the ship, Maximus turned to his best friend, Sergeant Lei, who was the newest member of the 31st Squad, "Make me proud Jordan" Maximus told him, "Yes sir Maximus." He grinned at Lei before putting his helmet on. After few minutes, they made it to the Pirate base, there were Pirate Militia guarding the outside main hanger doors. Maximus motioned to Master Sergeant Curtson, the team's sniper, to dispose of the Militia troopers. Curtson took aim and shot at both of their heads, killing them with the silent C-37 MK II Federation Sniper Rifle.

After taking care of the guards, they picked up the bodies and dragged them out of sight. They then opened and then crawled into a vent right next to the hanger doors, which was about two meters in diameter; as they traveled through, they could hear the Pirates talking in their native language, _We have to know what they're planning, _thought Maximus. Soon, he and his team began to detect large amounts of radiation, they came to a stop next to another vent in the wall. Kolan scanned to area, there were no hostiles detected, "All clear" he whispered, he opened the vent and then got out, his team followed shortly after. He then whispered to them, "Okay, here's the plan, we're going to split up into two groups: Lei, Anderson, and Jonson will come with me to sabotage the generators. Curtson, Myles, Daniels, and Thompson will be charged with gathering Intel. Alright people, we only have one shot at this, move out." With that, the team went their separate ways.

Curtson's group traversed through the corridors of the base, keeping out of sight and staying vigilant. Myles transmitted a text to Curtson, "Sir, I'm picking up large amounts of radiation again" "So am I" he broadcasted back. Soon they came into a large room with a few Pirate Scientists typing in coding and studying a substance within a cylindrical tank. The substance was a light blue, was glowing brightly in the dark room, and was the source of the radiation signs. Myles transmitted to Curtson again, "It appears, from how Samus described it, that's Phazon in that tank." He took a scan of it, and confirmed that it was INDEED Phazon, the same mutagenic substance that bounty hunter Samus Aran encountered on planets Tallon IV and Aether. Curtson texted Daniels, "Take a scan of that log computer, and then translate and send it to the commander" Daniels nodded, he scanned the computer on the far wall of the room, it took a few minutes to scan and even longer to translate, but Daniels' work was successful. He sent the data to Maximus; but soon after, no one in Curtson's group noticed the dual bladed melee weapon that materialized behind them.

Maximus received the logbook scan, and reviewed it, the translated text read: "The shipment of remaining Phazon our forces managed to scavenge from Aether has arrived at the Homeworld, as well as a small amount for our team here at Research Lab Tyra. Tests are going well, several of our volunteers have succumbed to Phazon Batch Vertigo II, and are beginning to transform into Phazon enhanced Alpha Pirates, hopefully they will be instrumental in destroying The Hunter, and tearing apart the Federation from the inside out. The Alpha Pirates will be fitted with concussion resistant armor, Quake Generators, an energy siphon shield to guard against beam attacks, dual bayonets, shoulder mounted missile launchers, and snare beams. With luck, several Alphas will be able to defeat Aran, and bring us conquest." Maximus paused for a moment before thinking, _so, that's their plan, to make improved Elite Pirates like the ones Samus reported about,_ He looked up at Lei, who was staring at Kolan with concern, "Are you okay?" he whispered, "Yeah, I'm fine, but we just got the info we needed. I'm going to send it to the Olympus now." After he had done so, he texted Anderson, "Ready with those charges?" he asked, Anderson turned to Maximus and gave a thumbs up, "Okay, let's move on to the next generator", he texted to his group.

As they started off, Kolan texted Curtson, asking him how things were with his group… but there was no response. He waited a few moments, still nothing; Kolan felt uneasy about it, _why isn't he replying? He always replies to his com. link no matter what's going on, _he thought. Maximus' answer came quickly, as he and his teammates heard a low growl. They looked around everywhere, but couldn't see anything, it also didn't help that it was a dark room. Suddenly, a helmet fell from the ceiling, and hit the ground, it was Curtson's! Maximus looked at it in horror, _they know we're here! _He said to himself in fear, they looked up to see what looked like the ceiling being magnified by something in the shape of a Pirate. The cloaked object unveiled itself, and then dropped to the ground, along with two others, "Pirate Commandos! We have no choice men, attack!" Kolan yelled. The group activated their energy scythes, and then opened fire on the Pirates, who evaded the weapons fire; one of them made its way to Anderson and then stabbed him with its melee weapon, killing him. "NO!" Yelled Maximus, who then engaged Anderson's killer in hand-to-hand combat; Jonson was firing persistently at one of the Commandos, and was dealing damage quickly, but the Pirate pulled through and lunged at Jonson, they skirmished briefly with their melee weapons before the Pirate killed Jonson with its dual blades. Lei took the opportunity to attack the Commando, both of them engaged in an equally matched firefight.

It didn't take long for Kolan to dispose of the Commando that killed Anderson; he shot the Pirate's weapon out of its hand, and then delivered the killing blow with his scythe. He turned around to see Jonson's corpse on the ground, "Jonson…" He watched as Lei valiantly fought against the Pirate Commando, he wanted to assist Lei, but he had to take care of the third Commando first. He fired at the Pirate, and then slowly began to move into melee range whilst dodging weapons fire, he readied his scythe, and was about to attack when he heard a cry of pain, it came from Lei. He turned around to see the horrific sight of Jordan being impaled by a Pirate's melee weapon, but this Pirate was different, it looked like a Commando but had a large head crest, and had a red color to its armor as compared to a regular Commando's armor, which had a Phazon blue tint. The being was a Pirate Commander. "Jordan!" Maximus exclaimed, he charged at the Commander, firing a barrage of plasma at it. The Pirate then teleported in front of Maximus and then grabbed him by the neck, then proceeded to lift him into the air. The Commander was about to kill Maximus with its melee weapon, but Maximus wasn't going to let himself die, the Pirates had to be stopped; he activated the detonator, causing a large explosion and sending Maximus and the Pirates slamming into the wall. Maximus painfully rose to his feet while the Pirates were dazed, he then ran out of the room; as he sprinted, he looked back to see not only the Pirates getting up, but that the generator was still intact! _Blast! What's that thing protected by? _He thought in amazement. He didn't have much time to escape, the base's security alarm was blaring and the Commander and the two remaining Commandos were gaining on him, he was near the exit when three Pirates Troopers dropped down from the ceiling, blocking his path. "Oh, come on!" Kolan exclaimed in frustration, he fired at two of the Pirates and took them out quickly and then took care of the third with his scythe.

Maximus charged out of the exit and ran with haste towards the ship, he made it, but not without the Commander and the other two Pirates lunging at him. Maximus stabbed the Commando that was right on him with his scythe and then killed the second with a few shots from his rifle. The Commander ran up to Maximus and, before he could react, tackled him. Kolan kicked the Commander off of him and then tossed a grenade at the Pirate, which exploded and sent the Space Pirate reeling. He then took the time he had to get into the ship, he started it and then began to lift off, the Pirate Commander watched in rage as Maximus escaped. Kolan breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart felt only anger and sorrow, he had lost his closest friends, and his mission was a partial failure. He knew that this course of events would have consequences, but he also knew that he had to be ready to face them.

End Chapter 2… 


	4. Chapter 3: Into Exile

"The G.F.S. Olympus, 3 hours after the incident on SR388."

Maximus walked slowly into the Aurora Unit chamber for trial. It had been some time since the mission on SR388, in which he had lost his entire team, which consisted of all of his closest friends, and the mission itself was incomplete. Admiral Dane had told him about the inconceivable amount of casualties before he left for the planet; he specifically told him that the Federation could not tolerate any more losses, let alone the best Elite Squad in the entire Marine Corp. Maximus was told to protect his squad, and he failed. His orders were to destroy the two generators in the Pirates' base, and he failed. He was supposed to gather as much Intel as possible, and he failed. According to detailed tactical scans that the Olympus performed, the interior of the Pirate base was designed to block transmissions that were not of Pirate origin, in the case that an enemy should ever manage to make it inside the facility. _The Pirates were prepared, _thought Maximus.

Kolan stood before the large cylinder like tank, with several council members of the Federation, including Chairman Keaton and Admiral Dane. They were standing on the high walkways above the tank, with their eyes on Maximus. Soon, the fluids in the tank began to clear, revealing the Aurora Unit, 242, which began to speak, "Welcome Maximus Kolan, you are here because of the failure of your mission, as well as losing the rest of your squad." Maximus' gaze lowered to the floor, with great sorrow in his eyes. "As Admiral Dane has told you, the Federation Marine Corp. has lost an exponential amount of lives, and that you could not let your team be killed. Is there anything you have to say for yourself?" "I do not. I had my team split up, which was apparently not a good idea, and it played a key role in my team's demise. I don't deserve to lead another team again." Chairman Keaton spoke up; "You realize now that the Federation is at a severe disadvantage against the Pirate forces now, do you not?" "Yes, your honor." "The Federation is low on numbers right now, and we haven't many Elite Squads left, as well as troopers and officers. If it weren't for Samus Aran, we wouldn't have a chance against the Pirates anymore." The green alien stated. 242 spoke again, "The generators of the Pirate facility were not destroyed, and the information you gathered and attempted to send us was terminated mid-transmission. You failed your mission, and couldn't keep your team alive." Maximus looked up at the Aurora Unit, "Maximus Kolan, you are banned from the Galactic Federation Marine Corp. You are to gather your belongings and leave the Olympus, you have disgraced the Marine Corp. Therefore you will no longer be able to dock with us again. Is that understood?" Maximus looked up at Admiral Dane, he could tell that this was not what the Admiral wanted this to come to, as his eyes were full of reluctance, "Yes." He answered. "Then we bid you farewell." 242 finished. Maximus turned around and left, his back to the chamber, just as his back would be turned from the Federation for some time to come.

About an hour later, Maximus walked out to the docking bay, preparing to leave in a small transport. He looked around, and spotted a gunship that vaguely resembled the helmet that Samus wore. In the past, there were a few missions where Samus worked with the 31st Squad and they made an excellent team. Many of Kolan's teammates, including himself, thought of Samus as unstoppable. Practically everything done to her was ineffective, yet ironically, everything _she _did caused so much unspeakable destruction, it was hard to believe that one being could do so much. Maximus leaned against the wall he was standing next to; he looked down at the floor, remembering everything that his team went through. He thought of all the good times that he had with his close friends when they weren't on missions. The thought of losing all of them made his heart cringe. His emotional state turned from sorrow to vengeance; he would avenge his team's death if it was the last thing he did.

Suddenly, a large shadow appeared on the floor, it had bulky shoulders and what appeared to be the right arm in the shape of a weapon; Maximus' head looked up to see a friendly sight, it was Samus. "I'm guessing you heard what happened," Maximus said. "Well, you can't win all of your battles…" he finished. Samus stared at him for a minute; she motioned for him to come with her, then turned around and walked off, towards her ship. Maximus paused for a moment; he then got up off of the wall and followed her. They got into her ship, and then took off. Maximus had taken his armor with him in his small cargo crate, he took out the main upper body armor, and then tore off the Federation badges on the shoulders, knowing that he not only couldn't wear them anymore, but because he felt that he didn't deserve to wear them ever again. He then asked Samus, "Where are you taking me?" as usual, Samus remained silent, but to Maximus' surprise, she actually spoke after a few moments, "To Tallon IV, for training…" Maximus' eyes widened, Samus was going to assist him in fighting the Pirates!

End Chapter 3…


	5. Chapter 4: Nightmare

"Former 31st Squad Commander Maximus Kolan, and bounty hunter Samus Aran, have arrived on the planet Tallon IV…"

Samus and Maximus entered the atmosphere of Tallon IV, and after they reached terra firma, Samus then landed the ship in the exact area where she landed during her first visit to the planet several months ago. Maximus was taking in the sights of the landscape and waterfalls that were throughout the small landing site. Never before had he seen such a place. Throughout his entire career serving in the Federation Marine Corp., he was used to seeing wastelands, and desolate worlds; and while SR388 had some vegetation, it was still mostly rock, and stone. Samus stood up out of the piloting seat, and then walked past Maximus to the back of the ship, Kolan then followed suit. The ship's entrance platform then lowered to the grass below, they both stepped off of the platform, and then it rose back up into the vessel. "Get some rest, we begin training tomorrow." Samus said. "Why are you doing this?" Maximus questioned. Samus paused for a moment, "Because…I too know what it's like to lose everything that you once held dear. All the times that I worked with you and your team, I could tell, by the look in your eyes, that you deeply cared for your squad mates, and I knew how you felt when I heard what happened on SR388. That is why I am going to help the 31st Squad's legacy live on through you." Maximus stared at Samus for a moment, he had no idea that she had a tragic past; she had never mentioned anything regarding the subject until now. "…Thank you." Maximus replied.

That night, as Maximus slept, he dreamt of the mission on SR388, in which he was in the Pirate facility again, reliving the death of his team. After they had been killed, and he escaped in the ship, a voice spoke to him, it was Lei. "Maximus, why couldn't you save us?" Lei's voice asked, "You always know what to do, why didn't you think of something then?" Maximus' head lowered in shame. Then he found himself on the Olympus again, in the AU chamber, the voice of AU 242 once again saying, "you have disgraced the Federation", the words of the techno-organic super computer echoed, repeating over and over, "you have disgraced the Federation". The face of the AU turned into the helmet of the Pirate Commander, it then laughed in a chilling, harsh tone, and began growing more and more intense, but then started to fade away as he faintly heard a voice calling his name, "Maximus? Maximus? Maximus, are you ready to start?" He then woke up breathing heavily, it was now morning. Samus was standing there, looking at him with concern, "Are you well?" Maximus took a moment to reply, "I'm fine" he then got up off of the grass, "I'm ready" he said, Samus simply nodded, "Suit up, and then go through that door over there." She pointed to a door that was a few feet away from the ship up on a slope of stones, which were shaped like steps. "There is another one within the small cave inside, I will await you through there." she finished.

After a few minutes, Maximus was fully clad in his armor, he went through the door on top of the step shaped rocks, and as Samus said, there she was waiting for him inside the small cave. They went through the next door which led outside; the area had several small waterfalls, a small pond, and two other doors. One door was at the top of a set of rocky platforms, and another at the end of a half-pipe shaped formation of walls. "This is where we will begin your training." said Samus, "This seems like a good area." Maximus replied. They went over into the half-pipe formation, where Samus began to instruct him on what their routines would be, routines that would last for some time to come. After she had covered everything, they then spent the next few hours training in Samus' personal style of hand-to-hand combat to add on to Maximus' skill. Her style was a very brutal form that Maximus wasn't accustomed to, it relied heavily on grapples, jabs, tackles, and roundhouse kicks. It took some time, but Kolan began to grow used to it; next came long range combat, where Samus helped him learn various sharp shooting techniques to improve upon his already good aim. Soon, hours became days, days became weeks, and the weeks became a month, as Samus slowly but surely began to shape Maximus Kolan into the warrior he was destined to become, the apprentice of the galaxy's protector.


	6. Chapter 5: The Test

"Tallon IV, two weeks before the incident of Norion…"

Quite some time had passed since the mission on SR388. Roughly a month and a half had went by after Samus and Maximus' arrival on Tallon IV; the two had spent all this time training, forming the former Elite Squad commander into a warrior that was every bit as dangerous as Samus herself, and slightly more-so in terms of hand-to-hand combat, but not overall skill. The time had come to prepare a new, much more advanced battle suit for Maximus, to assist him in his battle against the forces of the Space Pirates. They started by using the original Marine armor as a base, and modifying it with an up to date scan visor module, tampering with the intensity of the Pirate scythe fused to the left arm of the armor, and gathering metals from the destroyed Pirate frigate Orpheon that were still intact. The metals were then welded onto the original suit to make new, thicker, and more durable armor plates using Samus' built in cutting torch in her arm cannon. A new helmet was also created to look similar to Samus', with the visor from the Federation suit's helmet removed, and then inserted into the new helmet.

After they finished the suit itself, they constructed the new arm cannon. They installed a total of four new beam weapons into the cannon. The beams consisted of a standard Power Beam, though unlike Samus', it operated like the slightly weaker version used by the bounty hunters Samus encountered during her mission to the Alimbic Cluster. Then the Imperialist, a sniping laser used by the Kriken Empire; Samus had kept the weapons from the mission in the Alimbic Cluster in a storage compartment in her ship as energy, should the need arise to use them again, but Samus decided to pass the Imperialist to Maximus. Next was a Particle Beam, similar to a Nova Beam used in mining operations, but it was slightly weaker, was an orange color, and was found in what was left of the Pirates' mines. Lastly, the Concussion Beam, this powerful weapon served to make up for Maximus' lack of the ability to use missiles, as his suit, nor his arm cannon, was one with him. The Concussion Beam fired a single, oval shaped shot that, when making contact with the ground, creates a large shockwave that spreads up to about 12 ft. horizontally, 4 ft. vertically, and creates insurmountable amounts of destruction. The weapon can also behave like an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse), disrupting anything electronic. The beam was created by harnessing electricity from the Pirate mines, and channeling it into the cannon, turning it into a beam weapon.

After the cannon was finished, Samus welded it to the suit. Afterwards, they installed a new HUD (Heads-Up Display) system into the suit to keep track of energy reserves, and a means to track enemy movement with a new radar system. Samus then energized the suit using her own energy in order to give it power. After long, tedious, and laborious work, the suit was finished. In honor of Samus' compassion, and in memory of his team, Maximus code-named the armor "V.A.R.I.A.31". Each letter, as well as the "31", in the acronym represented the specifications of the suit; they stood for "Versatile Augmented Remodeled Isometric Armor suit 31st Squad". With their work completed, Maximus rested, while Samus made preparations for the next day, in which Kolan's training would be put to the test.

The night soon passed, and it was now dawn. Samus informed Kolan that today was the day that he would be tested, to insure if he was truly ready to take on the Space Pirates, as well as other great threats to the galaxy. Soon afterwards, Maximus quickly got into his V.A.R.I.A.31 suit, the back of it separated into multiple pieces and expanded outwards, allowing him to easily step into the armor. Once he was inside of it, the armor closed and sealed up; Maximus could now feel the new power that he wielded, because of the energy from Samus' Power Suit, his strength was now enhanced ten-fold to be on par with Samus'. He was also much taller in the suit now; while he normally stood at 6 ft. 3 inches, he now stood at 6 ft. 5 inches in height due to the size of the armor. Now that he was ready, it was time to begin the test.

Samus remotely commanded her gunship to leave the vicinity, so that there would not be the risk of possibly damaging it, and so there would be even more room on the terrain. Samus then stated, "Remember Maximus, during this battle, I am not your friend." She told him this because she didn't want him to hold back, for against odds that put the galaxy itself in peril, he must not hesitate to do what he must if it means the safety of so many lives.

Maximus was ready; this was the chance of a lifetime, a one-on-one battle with the top bounty hunter in the galaxy. If he could succeed in besting her in combat-or at least come close-he would prove himself worthy of helping her to defend the galaxy from the Space Pirate scourge. Within moments the duel began, and with both combatants transitioning between projectile and hand-to-hand combat, it was already becoming a fierce conflict. Maximus kept attempting melee, only to have his opponent leap away, preferring to use long range. He had to adapt to this situation, so he switched to his Imperialist, took aim at Samus' helmet, and fired; Aran barely avoided the crimson sniping laser, it grazed the side of her helmet, but took about ten units of her energy away. Samus then retaliated with a missile, it hit Maximus straight on before he could react and caused considerable knock-back to him, nevertheless, he did his best to hold his ground.

Kolan switched to his Particle Beam, and then opened fire, he managed to damage Samus a little, but his target proved too fast for even his aim, with her evading swiftly and gracefully. He then tried out his Concussion Beam; he closed in the large distance between them and then fired it at the ground where he knew Samus would land after her next jump. The round hit the ground in the spot where he wanted it to, and it released its incredible shockwave, throwing Samus across the area and slamming into the nearest wall of stone and moss. Samus' vision was blurred, they had definitely succeeded in making a weapon that could make up for Maximus lack of ballistic weaponry, she mused. She rose to her feet, only to be bombarded by several Power Beam shots from her opponent, she fired several Wave Beam rounds at him, a few hitting him, but the rest were avoided. Before she could respond, due to still being dazed from the concussive blast, Maximus was in melee range, he landed several lethal blows on her, and then a few kicks. Samus then finally pulled through and parried one of his punches, and then pulled off a powerful round-house kick to his armored face that caused him to spiral around backwards, opening up opportunity for her to ram him from behind.

Once Samus used the shoulder tackle, Maximus was thrown down to the dirt, stunned in the process. After he recovered, he rose up and activated his scythe, then lunged at Samus, delivering a visceral slash at her body which threw her off balance, causing her to fall into the pond. She soon came to her senses and then burst out of the water; she then let loose a barrage of several different beams on her adversary, from Power, to Wave, and then Plasma. Maximus had sustained heavy damage from her attack, but pressed onward, hitting Samus with his Power Beam, and then engaging in hand-to-hand once more. This time, however, the brawl was much more equaled out, with both warriors exchanging parries, kicks, jabs, and grapples. Over time, the hand-to-hand fighting finally started to tip into Maximus' favor, he managed to get in another slice with his melee weapon, and then finished the close quarters combat situation with a well placed uppercut which sent Samus a few feet away and crashing to the ground, however, she wasn't through just yet, she got up and turned around, swinging her arm cannon just as Kolan was upon her with all her tremendous might, the blow knocked Maximus down and put his energy down to critical levels.

Samus quickly stood up and then finished the job by firing a Super Missile at Maximus. The projectile depleted Kolan's energy reserves, feeling his power leave his armor, he was defeated. Samus knew he couldn't fight on now; she had taken a quick scan of his armor since he wasn't moving at all, revealing that his energy was diminished. She too, was reaching critical levels on energy, and the both of them were tired out from the ensuing battle. Never before had someone given Samus such a battle, that is, no one excluding her nemesis Ridley during her younger days. Samus walked over to Maximus, and helped him up off the moss. "You're ready Maximus." Samus told him, and gave him a thumbs up. Maximus simply nodded in response. Feeling pleased with her approval, he went to recharge his energy in Samus ship, as did Samus afterwards. Maximus rested that night, now that he was ready to take on new threats; he planned to re-visit SR388, as there was still some un-finished business to attend to there.


	7. Chapter 6: A Means of Transportation

"Planet Daiban, the Federation capital. One hour before the incident of Norion… "

Samus' ship entered the atmosphere of the planet Daiban, and within moments made it to the city below. Maximus took in the sites as they flew through the air of the large metropolis. It had been many years since he had first seen Daiban; it was where he first joined the Federation Marine Corp. Many fond memories came to his mind, of him first meeting his team, long before they were promoted to the Elite Squad ranks. To share so many good times with his team mates, so many years in service, they were like brothers to him. To lose them so suddenly merely two months ago had such an impact on Maximus. Never again would he allow the blood of those he cared about to be spilled. Never again would he fail them. He would keep his friends and those who can't fend for themselves, safe… even if it meant putting his own life at risk.

Samus landed her gunship in the nearest docking bay that was closest to their destination. Sometime during their training on Tallon IV, Samus had put in an order for a starship for Maximus. She had paid for it with much of her previous earnings from past missions and bounty hunts. Samus didn't hold Maximus in debt; she only did a favor for a friend, and to help him get started on his own. Maximus and Samus lowered out of the ship, and Maximus stepped off the platform as Samus explained where his ship was to be picked up at. Samus then told him that she had received a call from the Federation to head to the Flagship Olympus, as there was a dire matter that required the assistance of her and three other well known and seasoned bounty hunters. The two friends said their farewells, and with that, Samus left in her ship and took off to the skies.

Maximus watched as her ship disappeared in the distance, and then turned and walked away from the docking bay. As he walked through the streets of the city, many eyes turned toward him, staring in awe at the stranger. Who was he? Why did he bear a striking resemblance to Samus? Where did he come from? These were the thoughts that went through the minds of the people. Maximus was aware that he was being watched closely by everybody, but ignored them, silently walking onward toward the station where his ship awaited.

Maximus soon arrived at the building. He walked inside and saw several ships in the hangar being repaired, customized, or constructed. The manager took notice of Kolan and walking toward him, began to speak, "Ah, you must be Maximus; Samus described what you would look like." The two shook hands, "You here for your ship?" he asked. "Yes, I am. Samus told me she already paid for it?" "Yes sir, right over there, all paid for and ready to go. Just scan your hand on this form screen proving that you picked it up and she's all yours." The manager held up a small hand scanner with information of the ship pre-typed in above where Maximus was to place his hand. Maximus put the palm of his hand on the screen and it scanned through his armor and picked up his palm print. He then took his hand off the screen and watched as the word directly below the ship's data changed from "pending" to "confirmed". "Thank you very much Mister Kolan, she's ready to go. Have a good afternoon!" the manager said. "You too, thanks," Maximus replied. He turned toward his ship and walked up to it. It looked similar to Samus', but was silver, was much sleeker and more slender in shape. It had small fin-like stabilizers on the top and sides of the craft, and had a blue cockpit windshield shaped much like Maximus' visor. It also had three landing gear pieces deployed and a fourth platform in the center bottom of the vessel, just like Samus' own ship, to allow access to the inside.

Maximus entered the ship and took a moment to scan of all the consoles and learn their purposes so that he would know how to operate them. After he had finished gathering the information he needed, he sat down in the seat and used the correct lever to retract the landing gear and put the ship into hover mode. The workers in the hangar cleared the docks and operated the hangar's roof; it opened up to allow Maximus' ship to fly out. Maximus then gained altitude until he was out of the station and then took off. Now that he was finished with his errand, only one thing was on Kolan's mind: it was time to travel back to SR388, to finish what he started.


	8. Chapter 7: Infiltration

"Maximus Kolan has returned to the planet SR388 to finish what began only two months prior, while the incident of Norion now transpires…"

Maximus once again entered the atmosphere of SR388, the very same planet where that fateful day involving his team's demise occurred but only two months ago. It felt like it was only yesterday that it happened to Maximus, painful memories began to well up in his mind yet again. There were so many times he wished he could forget, but to remember is what motivated him. He was finishing a task that was assigned to him by the Federation, one that he learned was never completed. With the help of Samus' ship, he was able to keep track of any Pirate activity on SR388 via scans from her map of the solar system, and it never stopped during the two months he was training and monitoring it. Instead, it only increased. If not for the Federation, he sought to finish his "postponed" mission for his team.

He finally landed, this time further away from the Pirates' facility than last time, as it had become more heavily fortified. He activated his ship's radar jamming system and set it down far from sight, and then exited the vessel. _SR388, _he thought, _this forsaken rock… this, is where I was created. _He began jogging to where the base was. The sky soon began to grow dark, the night was approaching, to which Kolan knew he could use to his advantage, for he had been trained to use the shadows for stealth. As he arrived at the base, he avoided the spotlights that searched the grounds, making his way to the nearest wall and then pressing hard against it. He studied everything he could see on the large facility's exterior before finally coming across a high up ladder but a few yards away from him hanging down from the top of the base. He slowly moved towards it, while still remaining vigilant as he did so. Once he reached the ladder, he used his energy scythe to help him scale the wall; once he was close enough, he lunged upward and grabbed it, and then continued to climb up it.

Kolan reached the top of the facility; he took a look around the area before fully getting onto the platform. Several basic Pirate Troopers stood at their posts, overlooking the ground as Maximus sneaked up behind them and assassinated them one by one with silent precision. Now that the platform was clear, he opened the hatch that was near one of the spotlights and dropped inside the dimly lit base. His eyes scanned the area, checking for hostiles. When he saw he was clear, at least for the moment, he continued on. _I've traveled this far, no turning back now_, he thought. A few moments later after walking through many of the compound's corridors, he ran into the inevitable, several Pirate Troopers jumped out from behind the corners of the walls and dropped from the ceiling, making it clear that they had found out about his presence there. They all stood there, readying their weapons. Maximus paused for a moment, before unleashing his Concussion Beam on the Troopers directly in front of him, throwing them into the far wall and killing them.

While they were distracted, Maximus took the opportunity to disappear into the shadows, turning off the glowing parts of his suit, such as his visor, which were meant to give him light in dark areas, so he wouldn't be seen. No more than seconds after the Pirates had started looking around, Kolan began eliminating them from the darkness, pulling them into the shadows quietly and ending their lives as his confused enemies searched for him. Then when there were only two left, he grabbed one by the throat directly and pinned it against the wall. He then turned to the last Trooper who spotted him, and then burned its armor with his Particle Beam and then finished it off with a charged Power Beam round. Finally, he killed the Pirate in his grasp by activating his scythe, releasing his grip, and then deactivating his weapon, allowing the corpse to drop to the floor.

Unbeknownst to him, another Pirate had observed the entire scene from a window above the room in a small control center. Panicking, it fled to the nearest computer and typed out a log to the command room of the base as fast as it could, which when translated into plain language read: "Alert! An unknown life form resembling The Hunter, but appears to be male in proportions, has breached security. He has killed several of our stationed Troops already, eliminating them from the shadows using stealth tactics, and has his own distinct beam weapons as well as a quantum charged energy scythe that seems to be stolen technology from us. The entity is silver in color, and again bears similarities in appearance to The Hunter. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight! We must stop this 'Silver Wraith' before he causes any further damage to our facility, this is imperative!" With the message sent, the Pirate ran to the alarm switch and activated it.

Maximus' eyes widened as the alarm blared throughout the facility, "Wonderful", he said in an irritated tone. He didn't have any time to waste now, he sprinted as fast as he could through the base, rushing through doors, and slaughtering any unfortunate Pirates that got in his way. He came to the room where he remembered the first generator to be, or at least, it used to be. _Blast, they moved it, and the other one too I'm sure, _he observed. He reacted to the Pirate coming up behind him on his radar by quickly turning around and firing his Imperialist at the creature's head to take it out, and then continued running through the corridors. He stopped at a room with a map station and downloaded the facility's layout while he had a moment. He quickly looked for where the generators could possibly be, and as he hoped, he found them, stationed on the lowest level. He started sprinting again, going as fast as his legs could carry him.

After what seemed like a never ending race of going through room after room, and having multiple run-ins with Pirates, he finally reached the bottom floor of the base. Strangely, the Pirates seemed to stop following him. Either they were getting ready to strike in a different way, or there was something in the generator room ahead that kept them from going in after him. He blew open a few crates and salvaged the few energy capsules he could to restore some of the V.A.R.I.A.31's power reserves. He needed as much energy as possible, in order to complete his task, confront whatever it was that awaited him, if indeed there _was _some large threat, and still escape.

After taking a few moments to regain his stamina, he opened the door in front of him and entered the generator room. As he suspected, both of the generators were built into the same room. They were on the back wall, side by side, providing power not only for the base, but for the transparent cylinders that were along the side walls, which contained towering monstrosities inside them. Only two of them seemed to be armed and fully grown, while the rest appeared incomplete. The room was enormous, with the floor simply being a large grate, with a large abyss below it, which Maximus figured was a cave that the base was apparently built over. Kolan finally came to conclusion: the creatures in the cylinders were none other than the Alpha Pirates that were spoken about in the log entry that he and his team reviewed during their mission here.

He began walking through the room, and then picked up more hostiles on his radar, and they weren't the Alpha Pirates around him either, they were from above. He swiftly aimed at the ceiling and confirmed his targets, three Pirate Commandos and a Pirate Commander, the same Pirate Commander from his previous encounter months ago. They dropped from the ceiling and landed, Kolan's weapon staying on the Pirate Commander, and him only. Maximus' eyes narrowed in concentration and anger, as this foe that seemed like an ancient enemy that was responsible for his pained heart stood before him, preparing to fight. This time, however, Maximus was not taken by surprise, this time, he was prepared to fight back.


	9. Chapter 8: Vendetta

"While the incident on Norion continues, the climax of Maximus Kolan's mission to SR388 has come to pass…"

There stood the monster in front of Maximus Kolan, the monster responsible for the death of the 31st Squad. He would pay for what he did, in Maximus' mind, it was imperative. It had come to this, a showdown with this Pirate and his Commandos that accompanied him. Kolan waited patiently as the four combatants stood in silence, with his glare staying only upon the Pirate Commander.

After a few moments, the Pirate finally broke the silence, charging at Kolan, who was waiting for this. Maximus Kolan avoided the assault by sidestepping out of the way and then delivering a hardy elbow strike to the Pirate Commander's back as he missed his attempt at hitting Maximus. As the Commander was stunned, Maximus immediately opened fire on the Commandos, dealing out as much damage as possible while he had an opening. He picked up the Commander coming toward him again on his radar and sidestepped again right as the Pirate Commander attempted to impale Maximus from behind, and then kicked the Pirate in the chest, sending him backwards again. The Commandos attempted their attacks, the first lunging at Maximus, who simply grabbed the Pirate's arm and re-directed the Pirate and caused it to skid onto the floor. While he did this, he prepared a charged shot of his Particle Beam, and fired it into the second Commando's face right as it tried to jump onto him with its melee weapon.

Before any more damage could be dealt, the Pirate Commander called in several Troopers that were on standby to assist the Commander and his Commandos, knowing that they wouldn't be able to defeat the Silver Wraith by themselves. Maximus took in the odds as fast as he could, quickly realizing that the chances of completing his goal just became slimmer. It mattered not, this Pirate operation had to be stopped.

The Troopers immediately commenced attacking on Kolan, weapons firing ablaze and energy scythes slashing madly. Kolan managed to hold his own though. As one Pirate charged, with its melee weapon prepared to stab, Maximus turned his back to the Pirate and moved out of the way, lifting his arm up and allowing the Pirate's weapon arm to go under his own. He swiftly wrapped his arm around the Pirate's, and then proceeded to break the Pirate's appendage, rip the melee weapon out of its hand, and then swing it around to stab the Pirate in the back with its own weapon. The next Pirate was no less fortunate, it tried to slash Maximus, only for Maximus to avoid it, wrap his arm around its head while it was hunched over, and then swung his leg up into the Pirate's chest, stabbing it with his knee-spike, allowing him to finish the wounded Pirate with a charged shot of his Power Beam. Maximus Kolan then dealt with the next few Troopers by firing a shot of his Concussion Beam behind him where they were at, the ensuing shockwave sending them off of the large platform and into the abyss below.

More waves of Troopers were dropping in everywhere, trying desperately to defeat Maximus. While Maximus fought off another Trooper, the Pirate Commander made his move, he lunged at Maximus and pinned him to the ground before he could react. He spoke in Federation tongue this time, instead of his native Pirate language, threatening Maximus. "You will die Wraith, you can't stop us this time! And once you're finished with, next is the Hunter, and then those Federation dogs!" the Pirate Commander proclaimed. Maximus became enraged, yelling "get out of my face!" in response before breaking the Pirate's grip and dealing a powerful uppercut with all his might to where the Pirate's jaw would be under his helmet, and as he did so, he released a Concussion Beam shot at point blank, throwing the Pirate across the room and slamming into the wall, releasing a shockwave as he made impact and disrupted some of the electronics.

The Pirate Commander was mortally injured, but much to Kolan's surprise, the electronics affected by his Concussion Beam's shockwave were none other than two Alpha Pirate tanks. The electric wave awoke the titans, and shorted out the tanks' lock systems. It didn't take but a few moments for them to tear out of their containment units and turn their gazes upon the being that freed them, none other than Maximus Kolan. To them, he resembled Samus, so it must be her, they thought, being that their intelligence was downgraded by brain cell damage from Phazon mutation. They were implanted with the mindset to kill Samus, and so they began attacking Maximus, who looked similar.

Disappointed by the consequences of his attack towards the Pirate Commander, he nonetheless knew that these two Alpha Pirates were his priority to bring down now. As he began to combat the two giant Pirate monstrosities, one grabbed hold of Maximus with its snare beam, pulling Maximus toward it while the other Alpha Pirate prepared to smash him. Maximus struggled to keep his ground, but the tractor beam was too strong for him. He had to think quickly, he looked at everything on the Pirate pulling him in. From what he remembered in the information scan he and his team got during their first mission here, he knew that none of his beams would have any effect, the concussion resistant armor plating would prevent the Concussion Beam from doing any harm, and their energy siphoning shield would protect against any other beams. _But wait, _Maximus thought, _the scan didn't say anything about defense against physical attacks or lasers, did it? _As he pondered this, he spotted an opening in the neck area of the armor that belonged to the Alpha Pirate that was pulling him in, a design flaw, and a weakness he could possibly exploit. He had no time to lose; he switched to his Imperialist while struggling to delay the pull of the snare beam, and took aim, prompting the Pirate to activate its energy siphon shield, a natural reaction. He fired his weapon with great precision at the Pirate's neck, wounding it and freeing Maximus just in time to leap out of the way of the second Alpha Pirate attempting to crush him with its Quake Generator charged arms. It was exactly as he thought, the Imperialist, being a laser, was far too fast for the Pirate's shield to draw in.

After Maximus got clear of the shockwave that came from the second Alpha Pirate's arms, he then steadily moved toward the Pirate, avoiding the missiles that it fired at him, and then avoiding its claws and scythes. Maximus was able to mount the Alpha Pirate's back, and then with tremendous effort, he tore its helmet off. With its head now bare and open to any form of attack, Kolan finished it off with a charged Particle Beam shot. As the behemoth fell to the floor, Maximus leapt off of it and headed to the next Alpha Pirate. The Alpha Pirate slammed its fist into the ground and sent out a shockwave toward Kolan, who simply jumped over it and activated his energy scythe and ran at the Pirate. The towering Alpha Pirate tried to slash Maximus with its own blades, but he proved too quick for the Pirate to hit. Maximus knew he couldn't possibly match the creature's strength, so he stuck to dodging and parrying the Alpha Pirates scythe attacks to keep himself from getting cut to pieces.

Maximus finally got the opening he needed. The Alpha Pirate tried using an overhand swing to hit him, but he moved out of the way and used the Pirate's arm while it was on the ground to boost himself onto the Pirate's back, trying to repeat what he did with the other Pirate. However, as he did, the Pirate swung its arm upward, sending Maximus toward the ceiling and disorienting him, but he quickly regained his focus and prepared to strike. Right before he hit the ground after falling, he grabbed the Pirate's neck and swung around onto its back and then drove his melee weapon into the weak spot of the Alpha Pirate's armor. This ended the Phazon empowered mutation's life, and it fell to the ground, lifeless.

The fight was over, but not quite yet the battle itself. Maximus was beginning to grow weary from fighting for so long, but he had to continue. The Pirate Commandos that assisted the Pirate Commander, along with the other Troopers that got clear of the area during the Alpha Pirates' skirmish with Kolan, rejoined the battle. Maximus delivered a haymaker to the first Pirate Trooper to come his way, and then downed several more Troopers with his Power Beam. The two Commandos closed in and went for their chance to strike, determined to kill the Silver Wraith. As they did so, however, Kolan killed the one that he shot in the face earlier using his Concussion Beam in the same spot where he had shot it previously, the force from the blast and the electrical properties of the weapon horribly destroyed the Pirate. Maximus then shoulder rammed the second Commando, throwing it to the ground, and then finally disposed of the Pirate with his scythe while it was stunned.

As Maximus Kolan finished with the Pirate Commandos, the Pirate Commander finally regained consciousness and rose to his feet, weary, but awake. The Commander shot at Maximus wildly, only to have his target move out of the way of his poor, injury affected aim. Since the Pirate Commander was still heavily dazed, Maximus had the perfect opportunity to finish him off. With that in mind, Maximus Kolan charged at his weakened opponent. As Kolan closed the distance within the large room, the Pirate made one, last ditch effort to put Maximus down, he activated his Phazon infused Hyper Mode and fired rapidly at Maximus. As these Phazon charged shots flew at Maximus some hit him, some didn't, but for the shots that did, the V.A.R.I.A.31's energy reserves suffered a heavy amount of depletion from the damage of the shots. Maximus felt it through the suit, too. The Phazon was excruciatingly painful to feel, but Kolan kept running toward the Pirate. He adjusted his scythe to its full intensity level and within seconds was finally upon the Pirate. Before the Commander could do anything about it, he lost his weapon arm to Maximus scythe, and then had the immensely hot blade driven into his chest. His Hyper Mode deactivated, with its power source in his armor's chest plating destroyed, it couldn't be sustained.

Through his visor, Maximus Kolan gazed into the Pirate's face with a cold stare. A moment of silence passed, in the same manner that the battle began, before Maximus finally whispered to his enemy, "that was for my team". With that final statement, Kolan threw the Pirate off of his blade into the pit below the room's platform. As the Pirate Commander's now lifeless body fell, Maximus ran toward the two generators. While holding off any other Pirates that tried to stop him, he slashed away at the alloy protecting the generators. The casing finally began to melt away from the prolonged corrosion of the intense heat of Maximus' energy blade. When there were big enough gashes in both generators, Maximus fired a Concussion Beam shot into each opening, shorting the generators' systems and causing them to explode.

It was done; Maximus had destroyed the generators and defeated his enemy, the Pirate Commander. Maximus ran out of the room as the generators began to overload; an alarm was blaring, stating that the facility was about to self-destruct. The Space Pirates that were left didn't care about Maximus anymore, they were concerned with getting out alive, and so long as they ignored Kolan, he would ignore them too. All that mattered now was escaping in one piece.


	10. Epilogue

Maximus rushed through the corridors of the Space Pirate facility as fast as he could possibly go. The memory of his first escape here crossed his mind as he sprinted through the base with the panicking Pirates around him, all trying to escape themselves. Several of the Pirates would actually manage to get out, whereas others would meet their end from random explosions caused by the rupturing of the now destroyed generators. Maximus blasted and sliced his way through any Pirates that tried opposing him, while making his way to the main entrance.

At last he got to the entrance, after what seemed like an eternity of running, he was relieved. He fired a Concussion Beam shot at the doors, disrupting the electronics that secured the automated lock system and weakened the structural integrity of the doors. With all his might, he rammed the doors with his shoulder, tearing them clean open. He was finally outside, and without hesitation, he ran towards the location of his ship. Again, the memory of his first escape went through his head, where he was also running for his life.

Maximus successfully got to his ship and got inside. He engaged the vessel's systems, activated the thrusters, and lifted off of the ground, taking off into orbit. Maximus watched from the windshield of his cockpit as the Space Pirate facility went up in flames and finally explode, taking all of the unfortunate Pirates that remained inside with it. Maximus relaxed in his ship's cockpit chair. He was exhausted, but satisfied. He had at last avenged his team, and fulfilled his once incomplete mission.

Meanwhile, the G.F.S. Olympus was near planet SR388, as it had been stationed there for weeks on surveillance. Fleet Admiral Castor Dane was alerted by a technical officer that a high energy spike was detected on the planet, caused by an explosion. The officer also tracked a small vessel leaving the planet's atmosphere. After some scans were done, it was identified as a hunter class starship. Upon Dane's orders, the technical officer contacted the ship. To the Admiral, something seemed familiar about this silver vessel.

As Maximus flew through the stars, he received an incoming transmission from a Federation ship. After a moment he opened up the feed, and there on his screen appeared a Federation technical officer. Maximus glanced at the background behind the officer, it looked just like the interior of the Olympus! The Federation officer spoke to Maximus, "Unidentified hunter class starship, you have been requested to come aboard the G.F.S. Olympus for events relating to the disturbance on planet SR388. We ask that you please comply." Maximus nodded, "Understood". With that, he headed towards the Federation Flagship.

Maximus Kolan soon arrived and docked at the Olympus. Maximus was taken through security procedures, and then was called to see Fleet Admiral Castor Dane himself. As he traversed through the all too familiar ship with the escort of security guards, he remembered the days that he was first enlisted to serve in active duty on this starship; he had been here for much of his career. Maximus soon walked onto the ship's main bridge. Admiral Dane turned around to take a good look at this new hunter. The Admiral couldn't help but notice the resemblance to Samus Aran, but from the proportions, and extra bulk, it was easier to tell that this hunter was a human male. Oddly enough, he bore the colors of a Federation Marine Elite. _And the fact that this man seemed to be leaving SR388 of all places shortly after an explosion there, in what just so happened to be the coordinates that the 31__st__ Elite Squad was dispatched to before their demise? _Things were starting to add up to Admiral Dane, the hunter that stood in his presence was none other than an old friend.

Maximus was a bit nervous; he knew that he was never to be seen with the Federation Marine Corps. again. Admiral Dane spoke to him, "Hunter, I understand that you were seen leaving the planet SR388 shortly after an explosion occurred there." "Yes, sir." Maximus replied. "We wanted answers, and thought perhaps you could tell us if you had something to do with it?" the Admiral sternly inquired. After a bit of a hesitant pause, Maximus spoke up again, "Of course sir. I was the one that caused the explosion." Admiral Dane just stared at him, apparently waiting for more. Maximus continued, "I had landed on SR388, for the purpose of stopping the Space Pirate activity that was proceeding there. You see, Space Pirates are my enemy, they have caused me great pain in the past that I would rather not go into detail about, so I took it upon myself to fight them back." Dane replied "So you prioritized vigilantism?" Maximus stood there silently, not knowing what to say.

Admiral Dane walked closer to Maximus, until he was directly in front of him, looking up and staring into his visor. "Vigilantes are not something that are exactlyappreciated in the Federation. But we have been trying to find a way to destroy that same Pirate base for some time now, so, your intervening is much appreciated right now…" Dane moved in closer and whispered "… Commander." Maximus' eyes widened behind his visor a bit, slightly taken aback that his identity was already known. Admiral Dane stepped back, "Hunter, I would like to introduce you to the Aurora Unit, 242, and I would like to make a proposition." Maximus paused for a moment, "Alright." He replied.

The two men walked into the Aurora Chamber. Maximus once again saw the fluids clear in the tank, revealing the gigantic brain-like organic supercomputer. "Greetings, hunter," Aurora Unit 242 spoke, "we owe you our gratitude for dealing with the Pirate threat on SR388. Due to our best bounty hunters and squads stationed elsewhere, we had no one else to send. Without you, it would have been some time before we could have dealt with the Pirates, and it could have been too late before we finally acted". "It was my pleasure," Maximus nodded, "I'm glad I could help." Admiral Dane turned to Maximus, "Hunter, I would like to propose a partnership, much like what we have with Samus and other bounty hunters, where you do missions with us, and sometimes for us, as we need you to. It would be of great benefit, and we wish you would fight alongside us. Do you accept?" Maximus smiled, "Yes sir." "Then welcome back on board, Maximus Kolan." Dane replied. Maximus shook hands with the admiral, he felt honored to be back with the Marine Corps, if not officially as an enlistee, then, in spirit.

As Maximus Kolan left in his ship, he gazed into the stars. He felt greatly fulfilled, having completed a mission long overdue, and more importantly, avenged his team, his brothers-in-arms. From this day forth, he would go on to be a great ally and important player in the Federation's quest for intergalactic peace. In future crises he would become one of the greatest heroes the galaxy has ever known, right next to Samus Aran, his mentor that he owed so much to, and one of the best friends that he would ever know. This marks the end of the tale of Maximus Kolan's origin, but the beginning of many more stories to come.

END

**Author's note:** I hope all that read this story enjoyed it. This was the first actual fan fiction story line that I've ever written, and I'm proud of it. However, due to advancements in my mind within the world Maximus Kolan, his origin shall be re-written. Not only will more things fit together more logically, but the goal is to also make Maximus a more complex and interesting character. I hope you look forward the future which will bear the definitive origin story of my character, and the standard from which all stories to come of him shall be drawn from. See you next mission, Varia31.


End file.
